A word from Nelson, the 'Iron Boy' costume creator:

My family and I decided to go with an Avenger's theme this year, with my youngest wanting to be Iron Man. The armor is being worn by my youngest son, who is 5 years old.

The body armor was made using craft foam and put together with hot glue. I sealed the foam with Modge-Podge then spraypainted it with a latex primer and paint.

The helmet was made using foam and sealed with Modge-Podge, however, I needed a bit more stiffness for this piece so I coated the outside using automotive expoxy resin. I then used bondo, sandpaper, & a lot of elbow-grease to smooth it out. The inside of the helmet was hardened using resin and fiberglass. The chest lights up by way of a tap-light.

The shoes were the most challenging part of the project. I used an aqua shoe (the king you wear at a pool or at the beach) and attached a foam cover I made using shoo-goo glue.

Overall cost of the project was $200-250. Time spent was 40 hours. Satisfaction at seeing his face when he first put on the armor, priceless.